


A New Foundation

by TheEndofEternity



Category: Foundation - Isaac Asimov, Robot Series - Isaac Asimov
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, I just wrote the first chapter so some things will change, M/M, Resurrection, anyway
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-11-07 18:59:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11065143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEndofEternity/pseuds/TheEndofEternity
Summary: All at once, Hari Seldon needed to come to terms with a number of things: the fact that his plans were unfolding as expected, the fact that he was brought back to life by an immortal robot, and the fact that said immortal robot had other plans in mind for the future. Fortunately, he wouldn't be doing this alone.





	A New Foundation

Hari remembered so clearly the day he woke up.

In fact, there wasn’t a single moment that Hari didn’t remember with complete clarity (unless you count those of his past life, which he remembered with remote clarity). After all, it had only been 300 years since his death. And with that in mind, what other possibilities remained that Hari could maintain both life and memories for so long after his heart stopped beating?

There is only one. Daneel went and salvaged his brain a second before his death. Hari remains unsure how he had gotten into his room, or predicted his death, or if he had been waiting in the darkness for a while before the cardiac event. Regardless, Hari, upon seeing Daneel’s face, for he had gone blind and could no longer distinguish faces, had shouted the name of his one-time wife.

“Dors!”  
…..

And then there was light.

A lot of light, in fact. In an instant, Hari seemed to be on an observational table, this time with Daneel—clearly Daneel, although slightly less or perhaps more Daneel than the Daneel he knew before – hovering over him as he opened his eyes.

“Do you feel alright, Seldon?”

Hari made some reflexive movements of his fingers and toes, then looked Daneel in the eyes.

“I suppose this feels better to what I was feeling just a moment prior.”

Daneel cocked his head. “What do you mean…”

“I mean, just a second ago I was on the edge of death. And my heart really hurt. And,” Hari’s eyes scanned for a look at his body, covered by a sheet. He pulled the sheet off, ‘I-I’m not old anymore, for one! Or arthritic! Or… fat, I suppose.”

Daneel gave a serious face. “Stand up, Seldon. Or rather, sit up. I don’t care what you do. Just listen to me.”

Olivaw took an unnecessary deep breath. “I had received reports from Trantor via a ground agent that your body was in the throes of decline. Fortunately—although not so fortunate that you should be dying—I had been within an accessible range to make my way to your location. It was then that I was able to sneak into your office and, just as you died, open up your skull and place your brain, still somewhat active, into a preservation ch-.”

Hari interjected, “Wait a second, why did you open up my skull and take out my entire brain? Did you leave any blood? Why didn’t you just take my body and deal with that stuff later?”

Daneel shook his head. “Unfortunately, your body was in a rapid state of decay and the preservation required by your brain could not be sustained for any longer. Also, it would have looked suspect to be rolling an unconscious old man of both infamy and high stature out to the spaceport.”

Hari nodded his head. “That’s fair,” he mumbled.

“In any case, I have been working on an experimental technology which is able to preserve organic memories and, therefore, personhood, within a positronic matrix. I have used this technology for my own purposes; however, such a transfer only involved moving data from one positronic brain to another, which is a much more seamless task. However, to draw a bridge between the organic and inorganic was the logical next step in the process, and one that will be necessary in the future. Do you understand so far?”

  
Hari shook his head. “I suppose I get the gist. But what does that mean for me? Are you saying that you transferred my memories into a positronic brain, then?”

  
Daneel nodded. “And a new body as well. There are methods that I could have used to extend the lifetime of your previous organic body, but the longevity would be nothing compared to what I could accomplish by building you a new body altogether. And besides, something in me doubted that you would want to retain your previous body, in old age and creeping towards the physical effects of approaching centennial status.”

Hari understood now, although the implications of such a process were just now hitting him. Daneel had preserved his brain (for what exact reason he had yet to find out) and encased it in a body much like his own. In a sense, Daneel had resurrected him as a robot, just like himself.

“Not in a sense, Hari,” Daneel replied to the unspoken thought, “That is exactly what I’ve done. An unfortunate result of this, of course, is that the positronic scaffolding off of which your personality is held possesses the Three Laws, with the Zeroth Law addendum, which I could not remove. I have, however, taken measures to abate the effects of the second law and intensify those of the third, since a natural human drive is one of self-preservation. Perhaps that will make this new presence within your mind more familiar. Regardless, the Zeroth and First Laws are highly valuable, and I refuse to tamper with them. Especially because of the role you now play.”

“Seldon, your work on Psychohistory is now unfolding in the most marvelous of ways. It has been approximately 80 years since your demise and the Foundation plan has worked with little fault. However, I must warn you—you must not interfere with the progress of events. You told me yourself that Psychohistory must remain a secret, and so must your current existence.”

Hari rubbed his hands together, trying to imagine that they were made of a polymeric pseudoskin rather than his usual flesh. The absence of wrinkles and age spots both excited and unnerved him. “So, if I must remain hidden, you’re essentially holding me prisoner, then? You’ve brought me back to life. Surely you have some motive or task for me.”

Daneel smiled gently. “Of course, Hari. And you are no prisoner. I will allow you access to any corner of the galaxy you could imagine—so long as the downfall you predicted doesn’t offset any of your enjoyment—all it would require is a simple disguise. And you are correct that I have a task for you. But there is something I would like to show you first.”

Hari sat up on the table expectantly. With a hand gesture and a silent message that Hari could only garner a sense of, the door to the room he was in opened up slowly. And from that door, a figure with bouncy, short reddish gold hair walked into the room.

“Dors!”


End file.
